Eric Garner's Family Reaches $5.9M Settlement With New York City in Police Chokehold Death Case
— -- Eric Garner's family has settled with New York City for $5.9 million -- nearly a year after the man was put into an apparent chokehold by police in Staten Island and repeatedly said he couldn't breathe, according to the comptroller's office.
“Following a judicious review of the claim and facts of this case, my office was able to reach a settlement with the estate of Eric Garner that is in the best interests of all parties,” Comptroller Scott Stringer said in a statement. “I believe that we have reached an agreement that acknowledges the tragic nature of Mr. Garner’s death while balancing my office’s fiscal responsibility to the City.”
According to the New York Daily News, Garner's family rejected a $5 million offer last week.
The deal comes several months after the family filed a $75 million notice of claim with Stringer's office, announcing their intention to sue.
Garner died on July 17, 2014 after he was stopped for selling untaxed cigarettes on Staten Island.
He was put in an apparent chokehold and taken down to the ground where he repeatedly said "I can't breathe."
The phrase became a rallying cry for protesters who were touched by the case in a series of rallies in the city.
Last December a grand jury declined to indict the officer involved, Daniel Pantaleo.
In a statement, Pantaleo said that the felt very badly about Garner's death.
"It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner," he said at the time.
